Lady Westerners volleyball team started and ended the West Sioux tournament with victories.

The Lady Westerners came home with third place for their efforts on Sept. 15 in Hawarden.

Wins were against Remsen-St. Mary’s, 21-13, a 21-16 loss and a 15-8 win in the morning round. A-W then lost to George-Little Rock and Trinity Christian in pool play before beating Whiting, 21-17 and 21-12 in the third place match for a 2-2 tournament record.

“We played a good tournament. We’re working on our consistency in positioning. We got two wins and I thought the others could go either way,” said A-W Coach Mollie Koopmans.

A-W stood at 5-5 overall record after the Sept. 15 tournament.

Against eventual tournament champion Trinity Christian, the two teams battled evenly as A-W led 11-10 then 15-12 and 16-14 in the first set. It was tied at 18-18 and 19-19 before the Tigers gained the final two points for the 21-19 win.

A-W led 9-5 with Kayla Tindall serving in the second set. A-W led on a Cali Westergard kill and another by Bethany Eastman for a 12-11 lead. The Tigers rallied for a 14-14 tie and it was 19-10 Trinity Christian before Trinity again scored the final two points for the set win.

Third Place

In the first set for the third place battle with Whiting, A-W was in a 6-6 deadlock. A-W surged to a 12-9 lead on a kill by Tindall and led 13-10 but Whiting rallied for a 13-13 tie. Tindall and Jordan Hansen serves brought the Lady Westerners to 17-15 lead, and A-W fought for a 21-17 win.

A-W led early 6-2 in the second set on a kill by Hansen and kept the four or five-point margins. An ace by senior Haley Coyle increased the lead to 16-10.

A-W finished with a 5-2 run for a 21-12 set win.

George-Little Rock vs. A-W

Against George-Little Rock Mustangs, whom the Lady Westerners were playing for the second time in a week, it was 10-9 A-W on a Kortney Hedlund ace in the first set. A kill by Tindall gave the Lady Westerners a 15-13 deficit another a 17-14 deficit. But, the Mustangs finished off the set for a 21-16 win.

The Mustangs led 12-7 midway through the second set. A kill by Tindall produced a 14-14 tie but George-Little Rock regained the lead at 18-16 and after a 19-19 tie, won the second set, 22-20.

A-W returns to War Eagle Conference play at Gehlen Catholic Sept. 18. They are at the Sioux City West tournament Sept. 22.